The Marathon Bombings

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April 15th started out full of hope. The weather was perfect as 27,000 men and women from 60 different nations lined up for the 117th Boston Marathon. I saw racers of every age, some in wheelchairs, some blind running with guides. There were even two dwarves. Thousands ran for special causes. The diversity and positive spirit was incredible.

I ran well until 18 miles when my quads seized up. I slowed down and eventually walked a few stretches. After training all winter, I can’t tell you how frustrating it was. To make matters worse, at the 22-mile mark, I was passed by a young man in a hamburger costume. I cried, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” But then, seeing the agony visible on my face, fans lining the course cheered like I was an elite runner. Children put out their hands for me to slap, and I felt the inherent goodness of the marathon.

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Aiden & Scott moments before the bombings

At 24.5 miles, my son Aiden, clad in his high school cross-country uniform, jumped the fence to help me finish. I was afraid I’d collapse, but Aiden kept me going. Once we turned from Hereford to Boylston Street and could see the finish, he encouraged me to find the strength to sprint. We crossed the line together and had just had our picture taken, when we heard an enormous explosion. We turned around and saw the second bomb go off. Our hearts sank.
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Memorial mass for Tom Lewis and the Catonsville Nine

Mike Boover:

A Mass of Holy Remembrance for Tom Lewis will be celebrated tomorrow (Friday the 17th) at 7:15 PM at the Mustard Seed CW (93 Piedmont Street, Worcester) followed by the film, “Investigation of a Flame”…. and good conversaton following that! Please join us if the Spirit moves you!

Today is the anniversary of the Catonsville Nine action, when in 1968 nine Americans (including the late Tom Lewis) napalmed draft records.

Tom left us years ago, but he’s still in the news, most recently for his “role” last July in the “Transform Now Plowshares” action:

They poured and splashed blood that had once been in the veins of a painter-activist named Tom Lewis, one of the Catonsville Nine who, on Hiroshima Day 1987, hammered on the bomb racks of an anti-submarine plane at the South Weymouth Naval Air Station near Boston. In 2008, Lewis died in his sleep, and his blood was frozen so that he might one day participate in one last Plowshares action.

(The Transform Now activists currently await sentencing.)

Gary Rosen wants to run for D5 City Council

From an email:

As my column in Thursday’s Worcester Mag stated, I am considering running for the District 5 city council seat held by Bill Eddy.

Here’s the link to that column: http://www.worcestermag.com/speak-out/columnists/Running-for-city-council-could-make-me-a-big-loser-207470751.html

I have only a few days to gather 100 signatures of registered voters and to submit my nomination papers on Tuesday, May 21.

Although I’ll be knocking on doors the next few days to get those signatures, I also would like people that I know in D-5, their spouses and children of voting age, to sign my papers.

If you are willing to help me, please call me ASAP and let you know at what time I can drive over to your house to get the signatures of you and your spouse. It will take only seconds for you to sign and I’ll be on my way.

If you know of other D-5 voters who would sign, please let me know. And I have many extra nomination papers so even if you obatined 10 signatures for me this weekend, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your help!

Gary Rosen

508 #219: Fair Lending

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is School Committee member Tracy Novick and Emily Jones and Maureen St. Cyr from Community Legal Aid. (For legal help, you can contact CLA at 508-752-3718, ot you can contact a private attorney.)

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Audio: Download the mp3 or see more formats.

Contact Info

You can watch 508 Fridays at 7pm on WCCA TV13.
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Worcester panhandling update: city gets sued

My summary of local ACLU head Chris Robarge’s testimony on Anti-Panhandling Plan #3, from Jan 3 of this year:

Stop hating on the Constitution. Nice city you got there, shame if it got sued.

Today: ACLU sues over Worcester panhandling ordinances

The civil suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Worcester, by lawyer Kevin P. Martin claims the ordinances are unconstitutional, violate free speech and the right for people to peacefully solicit donations in public.

Mr. Martin, a volunteer lawyer from the Boston firm of Goodwin Procter LLP, also said in the suit that the ordinances target the poor and homeless. The plaintiffs are listed as Robert Thayer and Sharon Brownson, two people described as homeless city residents; and Tracy O’Connell Novick, a member of the school committee here.

508 #518: A terrible week

508 is a show about Worcester. This week we mostly talk about ‘s body at the Graham Putnam and Mahoney funeral home in Worcester. We talk a little about a drawing of the proposed Worcester slots parlor. We have an interview from the final Dive Bar Thursday Music Night. And we talk about other awful stories you will have to google yourself.

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Audio: Download the mp3 or see more formats.

Contact Info

You can watch 508 Fridays at 7pm on WCCA TV13.
Continue reading “508 #518: A terrible week”